They would both make more money at the end of the day while still maintaining a high degree of autononmy. IMO it's the right move to make. 

Console loyalsts will never see it as the obvious play, but these are just childish beliefs. When I was growing up, this would be sacreligious basically:

Today, no one even cares. Times change. Companies that can't change with the times get left behind. Sony + Nintendo working together is not only good financially for both parties, it's good for the traditional game industry. It needs a united front against the onslaught of non-traditional gaming trends (smart devices, free to play, decline of the Japanese game market, etc. etc.). 

Oh and I doubt Sony would benefit more from this than Nintendo ...

Sony currently sees Nintendo's console userbase as chump change and the same goes for Nintendo's view of Sony's handheld userbase ...

Sony don't especially know how to support handhelds while Nintendo do know how to support consoles. - In short, it wouldn't make any difference to my Super DS but it would be lovely for Sony fans I suppose.


Also Nintendo are a long way from supporting smart-devices... Sony may be closer but only because it doesn't conflict with the PS4/5. Actually if Sony still wants a piece of the handheld pie they should really just start supporting the Super DS when it comes out.

I don't think this would be an equal trade-off.

Nintendo has lost 70 million of the DS 150 million userbase in about 4 years flat. Sony's handheld division has been eradicated entirely.  

If the next handheld cycle continues to be ravaged by smartphones, I wouldn't be so sure. 

Now is a good time for Nintendo to strike a favorable deal that protects them while they still have some leverage as a business. 

Because if things go badly next time out, Iwata could very well be forced out by investors, and guess what type of person they will insist on being Nintendo's next CEO?

That's right ... some puppet CEO who will greenlight support for Nintendo games on iOS/Android as one of his first moves. Don't let it go there Nintendo. Protect yourself, act now and create a unified front rather than fighting two unwinnable wars at the same time. 

Maybe the Soviet and the Western Allies weren't natural friends, but the alternative ... a Nazi dominated Europe was sure as hell 1000x worse. 

If Sony provides the Hardware for console and Handheld plus their worldwide studios IPs and japanese 3rd party exclusives PLUS nintendios IPs in both Handheld and Console, they would become a monster never before seen in the gaming industry, i would feel bad for microsoft, but i doubt that they would go out since now they would only be competing against 1 and not 2, and more people would be able to afford all consoles.

that being said i doubt that will ever happen.

Not only games, but think how many more of these guys Nintendo could sell:

In such a partnership? 60 million a year? 70 million a year? 80 million? It could outpace Skylanders very quickly and get into the "big boy" profits, not the piddly but decent amount they're doing now with the niche Wii U userbase. 

Sorry but just no, i like competition we need sony, nintendo, microsoft to make great exclusives and fight for customers

Although i have a PS4 and XBOX ONE i would love a Sega dreamcast 2 well just want shenmue 3 really.

It won't happen, but I do think everyone would win from that situation.

Ah relax. The mobile market might affect the handheld gaming scene, but its not gonna flat out replace it. Comparing mobile to to handheld is like comparing a Nintendo-less Wii to the PS360 and that is being generous. Maybe it'll have the occassional gem but its got no great push behind it to give it give it a Mario-Kart/Metroid-Prime-3/Smash-Bros. The DS might have had crazy success by creating that market, but if the original PSP had enjoyed DS level core support it'd still have been a sweetly profitable machine.